A widely reported on study published by The Lancet, a prestigious medical journal, warning of increased heart complications and chance of death for coronavirus patients taking hydroxychloroquine may be unsound.
<a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpub/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31290-3/fulltext">The Lancet</a> and another medical journal, <a href="https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMe2020822">The New England Journal of Medicine</a> (NEJM), each issued an “Expression of Concern” on Wednesday for studies coauthored by Dr. Sapan Desai, founder of Surgisphere. Desai’s company claims to manage a database with information on 96,000 patients in 1,200 hospitals around the world.
The Lancet study sparked global concerns over the use of hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for coronavirus, despite the drug’s decades-old history and proven efficacy as an anti-malarial treatment. The study <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/who-pauses-research-into-hydroxychloroquine-as-covid-19-treatment">prompted</a> the World Health Organization to cut its research funding into hydroxychloroquine. France stopped using the drug on COVID-19 patients, and the United Kingdom cut clinical trials involving hydroxychloroquine.
The medical journals announced they were reviewing two different studies after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/03/covid-19-surgisphere-who-world-health-organization-hydroxychloroquine">The Guardian</a> reported on implausible and contradictory statements and claims made by Desai and Surgisphere, launched in 2008 originally as a medical textbook publisher. The Lancet study focused on the health impacts of hydroxychloroquine, a decades-old treatment for malaria and potential coronavirus treatment touted by President Trump. The NEJM study tracked the use of several common heart medications on patients with COVID-19.
Questions over the veracity of the hydroxychloroquine study began after <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/may/28/questions-raised-over-hydroxychloroquine-study-which-caused-who-to-halt-trials-for-covid-19">The Guardian Australia</a> published a May 27 story on discrepancies between the study’s claims on COVID-19 death totals in Australia and data reported by Johns Hopkins University. The study claimed that 73 Australians had died from COVID-19 by April 21, but Johns Hopkins did not report Australia hitting that number until two days later. Desai blamed the discrepancy on a classification error; Surgisphere accidentally included an Asian hospital in the data set for Australia.
More than 120 doctors and medical professionals sent an <a href="https://zenodo.org/record/3862789#.Xtf9Gp5KhQL">open letter</a> to The Lancet editor Richard Horton on May 28 outlining ten problems with the study and requesting that Horton make the underlying data and methods available for other experts to review.
“The authors have not adhered to standard practices in the machine learning and statistics community. They have not released their code or data,” the letter says. “There was no ethics review.”
“There was no mention of the countries or hospitals that contributed to the data source and no acknowledgments to their contributions. A request to the authors for information on the contributing centres was denied,” the letter continues. “Data from Australia are not compatible with government reports. Surgisphere have since stated this was an error of classification of one hospital from Asia. This indicates the need for further error checking throughout the database.”
Desai claims his company employs 11 people, but Surgisphere’s LinkedIn page listed six employees last week, then just three employees on Wednesday. Two of those employees are a known science fiction writer and an adult content model. Several of the employees listed had no scientific or statistical experience, according to The Guardian.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Hydroxychloroquine

Medical Journal Issues “Expression Of Concern” Over Study On Alleged Dangers Of Hydroxychloroquine

Coronavirus

COVID-19

hydroxychloroquine

&#8220;Safe sex&#8221; has a whole new meaning in the age of COVID-19.
A new study from researchers at Harvard University says that in order to prevent transmitting COVID-19 from one person to another, both people should be wearing a face mask while having sex.
The study also advises against kissing. Shower before and after, and clean everything with alcohol wipes or soap, says the study.
&#8220;Data are lacking regarding other routes of sexual transmission,&#8221; says the study, published in the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7233185/">Annals of Internal Medicine</a>. &#8220;Two small studies of SARS-CoV-2–infected people did not detect virus in semen or vaginal secretions. An additional study of semen samples from 38 patients detected the virus by reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction in 6 patients (15.8%). However, the relevance regarding sexual transmission remains unknown. Until this is better understood, it would be prudent to consider semen potentially infectious.”
&#8220;Although 1 study failed to detect the virus in urine samples, there is evidence that SARS-CoV-2 nucleic acids were detected in a urine sample in at least 1 patient in another study. Until this is clarified, urine should also be considered potentially infectious. SARS-CoV-2 RNA has been detected in stool samples, raising concern for fecal–oral transmission (7). It is not clear, however, whether viral RNA detected in stool is capable of causing productive infection. Moreover, these data are moot, given that any in-person contact results in substantial risk for disease transmission owing to the virus&#8217; stability on common surfaces and propensity to propagate in the oropharynx and respiratory tract,&#8221; said the study.
The study says maybe it&#8217;s best to avoid sex altogether in the age of SARS-CoV-2. &#8220;Abstinence is the lowest-risk approach to sexual health during the pandemic.&#8221;
The study also says there are alternatives, although &#8220;having sex with persons with whom they are self-quarantining is the safest approach.&#8221;
&#8220;Patients can be counseled to engage in sexual activity with partners via the telephone or video chat services,&#8221; says the study.
The study also looks toward the future.
&#8220;For the foreseeable future, [health care providers] will need to incorporate new technological advances regarding SARS-CoV-2 into how they think about sexual health and risk. As was seen during the HIV epidemic, antibody tests may play a key role in how we evaluate sexual risk. Though we currently lack data on how long such immunity may last, those who test positive for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies could have relative immunity to the virus,” it says.
Other recommendations about sex during the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. have also been released. &#8220;In April, the <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/04/10/oregons-graphic-coronavirus-sex-psa-puts-nycs-to-shame/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Oregon Health Authority</a> released a sex guide that went viral, just weeks after the same happened to one released by the <a href="https://nypost.com/2020/03/21/nyc-health-department-gets-graphic-in-coronavirus-sex-memo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NYC Department of Health</a>,&#8221; Fox News reported.
Comedian Victor Dweck has also put out a video about what dating will be like in the age of COVID-19.
<iframe title="Dating During the Coronavirus Outbreak | Victor Dweck &amp; Kathryn Palmer" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KT6T6kXm7Os?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">member</a>.

Social distancing, man and woman standing with distance for avoid virus

Couples Should Wear Face Masks During Sex, New Study Says

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) is still moving forward with his phased reopening plan even though large gatherings of protesters in the state capitol have already broken restrictions on the number of people who are allowed to gather in one location. Northam has done nothing to break up the protests even as they flagrantly ignore coronavirus orders that would result in fines for anyone else.
All of Virginia except the northern counties closest to Washington, D.C. and Richmond (where the protests are) will be able to move into Phase 2 starting Friday, WAVY <a href="https://www.wavy.com/news/virginia/northam-will-allow-most-of-virginia-to-move-into-phase-2-on-friday/amp/">reported</a>. Accomack County will also be able to enter Phase 2 even though it just entered Phase 1 last Friday. Phase 2, according to the outlet, includes:
<ul>
<li>Reopening indoor seating at restaurants at 50% capacity</li>
<li>Reopening indoor gyms at 30% capacity</li>
<li>Reopening of entertainment venues such as zoos, museums and botanical gardens</li>
<li>Reopening swimming pools with restrictions</li>
<li>Resuming recreational sports with restrictions</li>
<li>Increasing limits on social gatherings from 10 to 50 people.</li>
</ul>
Personal care and personal grooming services, such as beauty salons, barbershops, spas, massage centers, tanning salons, tattoo shops, and others, may continue to operate with guidelines largely unchanged from Phase 1. From Northam’s <a href="https://www.governor.virginia.gov/media/governorvirginiagov/governor-of-virginia/pdf/eo/EO-65-Phase-Two.pdf">executive order</a> on Phase 2:
<ul>
<li>Occupancy may not exceed 50% of the lowest occupancy load on the certificate of occupancy with at least six feet of physical distancing between work stations and no more than two appointments per service provider at a time.</li>
<li>Service providers and employees working in customer-facing areas must wear face coverings over their nose and mouth at all times.</li>
<li>Provide face coverings for clients or ask that clients bring a face covering with them, which they must wear during the service. Limit services to only those that can be completed without clients removing their face covering.</li>
<li>A thorough cleaning and disinfection of frequently-contacted surfaces must be conducted every 60 minutes in operations, while cleaning and disinfecting all personal care and personal grooming tools after each use. If that is not possible, such items must be discarded.</li>
<li>If any such business cannot adhere to these requirements, it must close.</li>
</ul>
The northern Virginia city of Alexandria is one of those that must remain largely closed as the rest of the state begins to reopen further, even though there were just 19 new COVID-19 cases in the latest report, WJLA <a href="https://wjla.com/amp/news/local/city-of-alexandria-reports-19-new-covid-19-cases">reported</a>. The city has seen 44 deaths total.
While businesses are allowed to slowly reopen, Northam is still urging that residents are “safer at home” and shouldn’t leave their houses unless necessary. Telework is also still recommended. Northam also requires residents to wear a face mask in public, though numerous protesters have been seen without them. It doesn’t appear as though any protesters are being cited for breaking lockdown orders.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Virginia salon

Most Of Virginia To Enter Phase 2 Reopening This Friday

Ralph Northam

Virginia

During her Monday press conference, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) appeared to insult barbers and hairstylists when she suggested people who wanted their haircut should just “Google” how to cut their own hair.
Whitmer, whose own hair looks perfectly maintained despite the state’s coronavirus lockdown orders (which were lifted this month), had been asked during her press conference about Michigan residents traveling to Ohio to get their hair cut, since most other businesses were allowed to open in The Great Lake State.
“If you’re one of those people that’s going to Ohio I hope and pray that you are doing your part not to bring COVID-19 home. If you haven’t resorted to that, Google how to do a haircut, or throw your hair in a ponytail or curl it and get through the next couple of weeks so we can resume some of these things,” Whitmer said, <a href="https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/06/hairstylists-demand-apology-from-whitmer-for-suggesting-people-google-how-to-cut-hair.html">according to MLive</a>.
Whitmer was already facing criticism from salons and barbershops for leaving them out of Phase 4 of Michigan’s reopening, which allowed bars and restaurants to begin inviting guests inside.
In a press release, Mike Sarafa of the Alline Group and Kevin Lent of BAMF X2 expressed their dismay over Whitmer’s reopening plan.
“We are extremely frustrated by Governor Whitmer’s decision to open most of Michigan’s economy while keeping salons and barber shops closed,&#8221; the two wrote, adding that Safe Salons for Michigan had created a plan to allow salons and barbershops to reopen safely.
&#8220;Not only is this gutting the salon industry, but we are also losing business to neighboring states every day. We firmly believe we are safer open than closed. We urge Governor Whitmer to review our plan and allow licensed salons and barber shops to open immediately,” the press release said.
Sarafa was further insulted by Whitmer’s comments suggesting people could simply look up how to cut their own hair.
“I want to take this opportunity on behalf of the entire industry and the over 100,000 licensed cosmetologists and barbers in the state of Michigan, to ask the governor to apologize for this remark. She is speaking about the jobs of tens of thousands of Michigan voters that are either furloughed or unemployed,&#8221; Sarafa said while briefing state lawmakers on the Joint Select Committee on the COVID-19 Pandemic in Lansing on Tuesday. &#8220;It is insulting and degrading and a slap in the face to an industry already reeling from forced closures and shutdowns, and it is tone-deaf in the height of arrogance.”
Rachel and Scott Harned were also at the briefing, MLived reported, and explained to lawmakers just how many hours stylists spend learning proper sanitation techniques.
“They actually spend 130 hours devoted to sanitation, equipment safety, personal hygiene, we teach them not only hygiene in the salon but their own personal hygiene,” Scott Harned told the lawmakers.
So far, Whitmer has not apologized for her remarks.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Gretchen Whitmer

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Suggests People ‘Google’ How To Cut Their Own Hair, Faces Swift Backlash

Hair salon

Michigan

Is it important to have racial or sexual diversity in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic? Heather Mac Donald suggests that some think it might be in her City Journal article &#8220;Should Identity Politics Dictate Vaccine Research?&#8221;
The funding priorities of the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control suggests that they think diversity is an important input in making headway in the fight against the coronavirus. On April 20, NIH and CDC announced the availability of grants to increase the &#8220;diversity&#8221; of biomedical research labs. For example, academic virology researchers studying respiratory failure could receive hundreds of thousands more taxpayer dollars if they could find a woman or a minority to add to their project. High school students and college students are eligible for the program even though they cannot contribute anything of value. No scientific justification for the new diversity hire is needed. The scientists must promise to mentor the new hire, which will take time away from their research with no offsetting gain.
Mac Donald has written another article on academic insanity &#8220;The Therapeutic Campus&#8221; bearing the subtitle: &#8220;Why are college students seeking mental-health services in record numbers?&#8221; Many colleges have created safe spaces where students can be sheltered from reality and not have their feelings hurt by others exercising their free speech rights. Yale University has created a safe space that would be the envy of most other universities. They have named it the Good Life Center. Mac Donald says it has &#8220;a sandbox, essential oils, massage, and mental-health workshops,&#8221; and that &#8220;the center unites the most powerful forces in higher education today: the feminization of the university, therapeutic culture, identity politics, and the vast student-services bureaucracy.&#8221;
George Mason University has a Center for the Advancement of Well-Being, headed by a chief well-being officer. At George Mason, well-being refers to social justice and &#8220;building a life of vitality, purpose, resilience, and engagement,&#8221; the Center&#8217;s chief well-being officer told The Chronicle of Higher Education. By the way, a George Mason University student can minor in well-being as a part of his college education.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, in justifying his draconian coronavirus measures, said during a press conference: &#8220;This is about saving lives. If everything we do saves just one life, I&#8217;ll be happy.&#8221;
Cuomo knows that many Americans buy into such a seemingly caring statement that would be easily revealed as utter nonsense if one had just a modicum of economic knowledge. If one looked at only the benefits of an action, he would do anything because everything has a benefit. Prudent decision-making requires one to compare benefits to costs. For example, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that in 2019 36,120 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Virtually all those lives could have been saved with a mandated 5 mph speed limit. Those saved lives are the benefit. Fortunately, when we consider the costs and inconvenience of setting a 5 mph speed limit, we rightly conclude that saving those 36,120 lives isn&#8217;t worth it.
There are other news tidbits about politicians drunk with power that we Americans have given them. Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot told city residents who disobeyed her stay-at-home order: &#8220;We will arrest you and we will take you to jail. Period. We&#8217;re not playing games.&#8221; Meanwhile, in violation of her own stay-at-home order, Lightfoot slipped out and got her hair done. She explained her decision, &#8220;I take my personal hygiene very seriously.&#8221;
Ventura County, California, health director Dr. Robert Levin said that his department would forcibly remove COVID-19 infected people from their own homes and put them &#8220;into other kinds of housing that we have available.&#8221; Facing stiff criticism, Levin later explained: &#8220;I either misspoke or it was misinterpreted. I&#8217;ll take the blame of having misspoke.&#8221;
The biggest casualty from the COVID-19 pandemic has nothing to do with the disease. It&#8217;s the power we&#8217;ve given to politicians and bureaucrats. The question is how we recover our freedoms.
Walter E. Williams is a professor of economics at George Mason University. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

WILLIAMS: Insane News Tidbits

Andrew Cuomo

Safe Spaces

<a href="https://www.hollywoodintoto.com/adam-carolla-not-taco-bell-material-special/">Adam Carolla</a> isn’t washing his hands a dozen times a day.
The podcaster knows the dangers from being infected with COVID-19. He’s just not buying into the fear-mongering from the press and government officials. The same press and government, by the way, which alternately tells us it’s safer to go outside but demands we don masks outdoors for fear of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” style blowblack.
The same holds true for Carolla’s long-time partner, ex-“Loveline” co-host Dr. Drew Pinsky. The veteran doctor can’t believe how easily his fellow Americans swallowed the drumbeat of disaster flowing from reporters and politicians alike.
Together, they railed against mainstream media outlets cherry picking the worst of the worst information about the pandemic on their <a href="https://adamanddrdrewshow.com/1274-nobody-thinks-theyre-stupid/">May 24 podcast.</a>
Carolla calls it the “indoctrination into fear,” and it’s manifesting itself in ways that surprise him.
“It seems weird to able to indoctrinate 54-year-olds … you figure once you get to 35 you couldn’t join a cult,” Carolla said. “If you don’t start smoking by 17 you’re not gonna be a smoker… the idea that we have a bunch of 55-year-old new cult members is pretty fascinating to me.”
While some wonder if children are missing out on critical school lessons, Carolla noted what’s more egregious with the current lockdown.
“They are missing the most dangerous, insidious part of kids being locked down, an indoctrination into fear,” he said. “You’re brought into a fear cult, and guess who runs the fear cult? The government.”
“And the press,” Dr. Pinsky added.
“You’re going to be a loyal subject,” Carolla continued. “My daughter is locked into her fear cult &#8230; and she has to turn to the government … they have to tell us when it’s OK.”
Dr. Pinsky noted a potential upside to the disturbing trend.
“When that has happened in the past, we’ve overstated the risk of fill-in-the-blank – pot, HIV – there’s been a marked backlash the other way, and a lack of trust, or a listening to, the fear [of] cult leaders any more,” Dr. Pinsky said.
Carolla, unofficial King of the Metaphor, compared the current situation to the Department of Building and Safety. That body pushes “incremental rules in the name of safety.”
“There’s no pumping the brakes, they never slow down,” he said of their approach. “They never remove a regulation. They add. The fines get higher … they shut you down, and it’s all in the name of safety.”
Carolla spread the blame around, though.
It’s up to fellow Americans to rise up and reclaim our liberty. So far, that’s not happening enough to his liking.
“The insidious part of this whole thing is not the government. The government is doing what they were put here to do, to rule you, make more regulations for you,” he said. “[California Governor] Gavin Newsom is doing what he does &#8230; they didn’t get elected not to rule. They got elected to tell you what to do.”
“The news? F*** the news, they’re just there to scare you and get more clicks. I get it,” he said. “Who are you? Why don’t you know what’s going on and, better yet, why are you joining them in shaming others that are attempting to exercise some liberty?”
What we’re seeing, the pair agree, is an increasing reliance on government.
“It’s a cult,” Carolla said. “We’re gonna extend the lunch and dinner programs through the summer … the government is feeding your kid and the government locking them down, they f***ing own them,” he said. “You guys better start thinking about that and stop f***ing feeding into it.”
A version of this article appears at <a href="http://HollywoodInToto.com">HollywoodInToto.com</a>.

Adam Carolla

TOTO: Carolla Blasts ‘Indoctrination Into Fear’ From Press, Government

drew pinsky

lockdown

Harvard professor of psychology Steven Pinker tweeted last week:
&#8220;Belief in an afterlife is a malignant delusion, since it devalues actual lives and discourages action that would make them longer, safer, and happier. Exhibit A: What&#8217;s really behind Republicans wanting a swift reopening? Evangelicals.&#8221;
Before responding to Pinker&#8217;s remarkably ignorant tweet, I want to praise him. He is one of the few professors in America to call out the left&#8217;s destruction of our universities. Most human beings lack courage, but no group is more cowardly than academics. This has been true for 100 years. From the German universities to today, professors have almost never taken a position that required courage. Indeed, one might say that when you send your child to college, your child is taught to be a coward by the cowardly.
Two years ago, Pinker wrote:
&#8220;Universities are becoming laughing stocks of intolerance, with non-leftist speakers drowned out by jeering mobs, professors subjected to Stalinesque investigations for unorthodox opinions, risible guidelines on &#8216;microaggressions&#8217; (such as saying &#8216;I believe the most qualified person should get the job&#8217;), students mobbing and cursing a professor who invited them to discuss Halloween costumes, and much else. These incidents have drawn worldwide ridicule, and damage the credibility of university scientists and scholars when they weigh on critical matters, such as climate change.&#8221;
It takes courage for a professor to write that our universities are &#8220;laughing stocks of intolerance,&#8221; that they engage in &#8220;Stalinesque investigations&#8221; and draw &#8220;worldwide ridicule.&#8221;
Having praised Pinker, let me now respond to his tweet.
First, &#8220;Belief in an afterlife is a malignant delusion &#8230; &#8221;
I am not a Christian, evangelical or otherwise. I am a religious Jew who has written and lectured extensively on the afterlife. My belief in the afterlife is based entirely on a logical argument: If there is a just God, it is axiomatic there is an afterlife. There is little justice and fairness in this life, so if there is a just God, there has to be an afterlife. There is only one honest atheist response to this: &#8220;There is no God, so there is no afterlife. But if there is a God, you are right that there must be an afterlife.&#8221;
So, belief in an afterlife is no more a &#8220;delusion&#8221; than belief in God. But it takes an unsophisticated arrogance to dismiss belief that the world has a designer and that intelligence must be created by intelligence as a &#8220;delusion.&#8221; I was disappointed in Pinker, who I respect for his courageous comments and with whom I have dialogued on my radio show. His tweet reveals a truly shallow atheism.
In fact, I would argue that it is atheism that is a &#8220;malignant delusion.&#8221;
Regarding the delusion part, I asked one of America&#8217;s leading thinkers of the last half-century, the late Charles Krauthammer, a secular agnostic, what he thought of atheism. To my surprise, he responded:
&#8220;I believe atheism is the least plausible of all the theologies. It is clearly so contrary to what is possible. The idea that all this universe always existed, created itself? I mean, talk about the violation of human rationality.&#8221;
And as regards the &#8220;malignant&#8221; charge, while there are, obviously, good individuals who are atheist, atheism is morally worthless. It makes no moral demands, whereas Judaism and Christianity posit a God who demands people obey, for example, the Ten Commandments. Atheism demands nothing; it only destroys the Judeo-Christian bases of morality in Western civilization, the civilization that gave the world democracy, liberty, women&#8217;s equality and an end to slavery.
In fact, evangelical Christians are the greatest defenders of Western civilization, while Pinker&#8217;s atheist colleagues at Harvard and elsewhere are the most active opponents of Western civilization. How does Pinker explain that? Which exactly is the &#8220;malignant delusion&#8221;?
Finally, evangelical Christians and other religious opponents of the continuing lockdown do not oppose continuation of the irrational, fear-driven, life-destroying lockdown — projected to result in more deaths worldwide and even in parts of America than the coronavirus itself — because of our belief in the afterlife. This is both stupid and a smear. It shows how even a Steven Pinker can be rendered foolish by atheism.
No one who actually knows evangelicals believes they oppose continuation of the lockdown because they value life less than secular proponents of continuing this lockdown.
Do evangelicals love their children and grandchildren less than atheists? Do evangelicals not do everything possible to save lives? There are evangelical hospitals and doctors serving in the poorest countries in the world. Where are the atheist hospitals?
Evangelicals oppose the continuing of the lockdown because they, more than any other large community in America, continue to believe in freedom. Without the evangelical community, we will no longer have liberty. From before the birth of America, liberty has been the cornerstone belief because it was a cornerstone Christian value. The founders engraved a liberty-affirming verse from the Bible (Leviticus 25:10) in the Liberty Bell. At the same time, from Lenin to Soros and today&#8217;s Democratic Party, liberty has never been a left-wing value.
To Pinker and his colleagues, Patrick Henry&#8217;s famous plea, &#8220;Give me liberty, or give me death,&#8221; the foundational principle of our republic, must sound truly foolish. It must have been the product of a malignant delusion.
Dennis Prager is a nationally syndicated radio talk-show host and columnist. His latest book, published by Regnery in May 2019, is &#8220;The Rational Bible,&#8221; a commentary on the book of Genesis. His film, &#8220;No Safe Spaces,&#8221; came to theaters fall 2019. He is the founder of Prager University and may be contacted at dennisprager.com.

Bible

PRAGER: The Lockdown, Evangelicals And The Afterlife: A Response To Steven Pinker

Christianity

evangelical

Steven Pinker

On May 27, the American coronavirus death toll rose to six figures: 100,000 lives lost. That&#8217;s a very sad number, made sadder when we ponder that the virus prevents loved ones from saying goodbye in person and makes any funeral an extremely small event.
America&#8217;s largest national newspapers have all made dramatic front pages out of the number. The New York Times came first on Sunday, filling its entire front page and three more pages with names of the victims. USA Today followed on Wednesday with an entire front page in black and white and photos of the dead. The Washington Post waited until we reached the horrible number but still printed some stories on the front page.
In The Post, Marc Fisher brought the usual emotional language to the milestone. It &#8220;slipped by like so many other days in this dark spring, one more spin of the Earth, one more headline in a numbing cascade of grim news.&#8221; It&#8217;s hardly slipping by. They&#8217;ve made sure of that.
CNN promoted each and every one of these performative pages, which strongly enhanced the notion that this isn&#8217;t just a number. It is a political strategy. Each of these newspapers and CNN haven&#8217;t just reported on President Donald Trump; they&#8217;ve cast him as a dangerous man who should have been removed from office long before he had a chance to campaign for reelection.
It&#8217;s the same strategy callously projected by Politico writer (and CNN analyst) Ryan Lizza, who asked White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany: &#8220;We&#8217;re about to cross the 100,000 dead American milestone. &#8230; on Election Day, what does the White House view as the number of dead Americans where you can say that you successfully defeated this pandemic? Is there a number?&#8221;
He didn&#8217;t ask just once. He kept repeating it. The implied message: The White House should be too embarrassed to ever claim victory, to ever claim that it did something right; that the situation could have been worse; and that it listened to the experts and took action.
You can&#8217;t merely grieve for the 100,000 in a vague way. This has to be trotted out as talking points, as Public Rationale No. 1 for removing Trump from office in November.
Lizza&#8217;s reporter girlfriend, New York Magazine Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi, tried this tactic first, in a more baldly political way. A month ago, she asked Trump, &#8220;If an American president loses more Americans over the course of six weeks than died in the entirety of the Vietnam War, does he deserve to be reelected?&#8221;
CNN loves this line of attack questioning from this Sonny and Cher of smears. In April, Brian Stelter interviewed Nuzzi and Lizza as they sat in front of their fireplace. Stelter, referring to Nuzzi&#8217;s question to Trump, merely asked her, &#8220;Why did you think it was important to ask?&#8221; Apparently, it&#8217;s important to always imply to the public that Trump&#8217;s incompetence killed tens of thousands of people. (Rep. Adam Schiff was even more blunt, suggesting a successful impeachment effort would have saved many lives.)
Lizza&#8217;s response to Stelter looks even phonier now than it did then. He complained that right-wingers think these questions are &#8220;all somehow showboating, or not real journalism&#8221; and added with a straight face, &#8220;that&#8217;s just wrong and has never been the case since I&#8217;ve been covering the White House.&#8221; That&#8217;s a lie. He then added to that lie with further showboating.
We can all lament this death toll, but some are clearly beating their breasts in the most opportunistic way imaginable. Doing so doesn&#8217;t honor the victims. It merely exploits them.
Tim Graham is director of media analysis at the Media Research Center and executive editor of the blog NewsBusters.org. To find out more about Tim Graham, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Candle

GRAHAM: Showboating With 100,000 Dead

Donald Trump

Kayleigh McEnany

Media Bias

Don&#8217;t listen to White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany&#8217;s predictable critics. The level of vitriol the leftist media hurls at her daily — during and apart from the press briefings — conclusively proves she is doing a superb job.
Liberal journalists whip their long knives in her direction and seem shocked she doesn&#8217;t grovel. They&#8217;ve been savaging her since her first press conference on May 1. No one with the audacity to work for President Donald Trump deserves a second&#8217;s worth of honeymoon.
On McEnany&#8217;s first day, New York Times White House correspondent Annie Karni quoted her as saying she would never lie to the press and then cited numerous examples of her supposedly violating the oath right off the bat. They were lying in wait for her.
They still are. On May 26, Tom Jones from Poynter called McEnany &#8220;arrogant, inexperienced and ineffective.&#8221; &#8220;(S)he just looks overmatched,&#8221; he wrote. &#8220;(I)n barely more than a month, McEnany has already had several high-profile controversies.&#8221;
I wonder why she&#8217;s had &#8220;controversies.&#8221; Could it be that the White House media cabal enters those briefings with war paint — ready to smear President Trump and discredit McEnany if she interferes with their plan?
It would be different if the media were to use the briefings to help inform the viewing public. But few of them ever ask questions that could better inform the citizenry. Instead, they serve up accusations not even thinly disguised as genuine questions.
Let me give you a sadly typical example. Politico&#8217;s Ryan Lizza asked McEnany: &#8220;What does the White House view as having — by Election Day, what does the White House view as the number of dead Americans where you can say that you successfully defeated this pandemic? Is there a number?&#8221;
As I watched this, I was stunned at the brazen inappropriateness of the question — and few things from this bunch surprise me. When McEnany refused the bait and said that every single life matters, Lizza persisted, asking, &#8220;When voters go to the polls in November and they want to judge the president on his response to this pandemic, what is the number of dead Americans that they should tolerate &#8230;?&#8221;
The question was so out of line I admire McEnany for retaining her composure. But she crossed the media&#8217;s inviolable line in telling Lizza he was asking the wrong question and suggesting that he could have asked a more pertinent one. How dare she position herself as his equal?
Fair observers know that Lizza&#8217;s question was crass, outrageous and an egregious example of the left politicizing everything about the coronavirus.
The media&#8217;s attitude is purely adversarial, yet they act appalled that McEnany returns fire, albeit calmly, respectfully and eloquently. They uniformly dismiss this Harvard Law graduate as green and over her head, but she is remarkably polished, and it is driving them mad.
You see, you are not allowed to talk back to the sacrosanct Washington press corps, especially if you work for that unrefined, interloping president who stole the election and is still trespassing on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. As Trump&#8217;s press secretary, McEnany is an accessory to his adverse possession of the White House who forfeited any expectation of civil treatment when she accepted the job.
Some television anchors and commentators are particularly offended by McEnany&#8217;s aforementioned practice of parrying the hostile questions they volley at her with suggestions of other questions. This just cannot happen because the press is holy and McEnany is their inferior who must curtsy while they abuse her and slander her boss.
It is odd enough these self-important journos believe they are above challenge, but it is even more so considering they draw first blood. Do they actually believe McEnany is supposed to stand there passively in the face of their mistreatment, and not fire back and reasonably defend herself and President Trump?
I can guarantee you one thing: The tens of millions of Trump supporters don&#8217;t agree, and they have her back. We don&#8217;t share the media&#8217;s warped belief that they can behave rudely and then whine like innocent victims when they get a small dose of their own medicine.
The media can continue this sick charade that they are objective journalists, but half the nation knows better, and the other half probably does, too. But many approve of the media&#8217;s odious behavior because they applaud a media at war with a president they loathe. Anyone familiar with media &#8220;fact-checkers&#8221; knows that today&#8217;s left describes contrary opinions as lies.
Even if McEnany were completely deferential, the Trump-hunting media would never accept her unless she betrayed Trump. They would accuse her of lying anytime she presented a position that differs from theirs.
The liberal media will continue to posture and complain about McEnany, and the rest of us can rest assured that in so doing, they further validate her in our eyes.
David Limbaugh is a writer, author and attorney. His latest book is &#8220;Guilty by Reason of Insanity: Why the Democrats Must Not Win.&#8221; Follow him on Twitter @davidlimbaugh and his website at www.davidlimbaugh.com. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at www.creators.com.

LIMBAUGH: Kayleigh McEnany Shines On The Job

Getting hung up on is never fun, but this time it felt even worse.
This wasn’t an old squeeze or potential employer abruptly ending a call. It was one of my closest friends, someone I’ve known for north of 20 years.
And, of course, it was about politics.
It didn’t start that way. My conversation with “Steve” eventually steered toward COVID-19, the Dumbo in any room at this point. We both agreed it’s not a great idea to finger point at the moment. It’s still too new, too raw, and that would be counter productive.
Later? Of course.
Still, I was curious what he thought about the media’s coverage of the pandemic. Specifically, how journalists predicted the Republican Governors of Georgia and Florida would have “blood on their hands” for cautiously reopening their states while ignoring the significant miscues made by Team New York – specifically Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Steve had previously set his anti-Trump rage aside to say the media had been behaving badly in the Age of Trump. I suspected we had more common ground to tread.
Not even close.
Steve extolled Cuomo’s leadership, comparing the governor’s press conferences to what he called President Donald Trump’s meandering, counter-productive pressers.
Yeah, I saw several shades of red. I actually appreciated Cuomo’s tone and tenor at first. And, as an ex-New Yorker, his accent and moxie struck something tribal within me.
Then I learned from untraditional media outlets how he allowed infected patients into New York nursing homes, dooming hundreds, if not thousands, of elderly Americans. Later, he began sanitizing subway cars many weeks after the virus hit the Big Apple hard.
I wasn’t ready, or eager, to defend some of the president’s clumsier comments. Still, it’s clear the media framed reality in such a monstrously one-sided fashion it was worth noting. Surely Steve knew about the nursing homes scandal surrounding Cuomo’s leadership, the one reporters have dragged their feet on for weeks, but that found legs on social media?
A corrupt press helps no one, even if it temporarily boosts “your side” for a spell. When half the country doesn’t trust the media, that’s a big, dangerous deal.
Instead, Steve stood by Cuomo like Tammy Wynette clinging to her beau. This wasn’t some clueless bumpkin. I’d guess Steve is smarter than I am, with plenty of real-world experience at his back.
What other false narratives did he believe?
I pushed further, bringing up the Russian collusion hoax, another example of extreme press malfeasance.
“Oh, I believe Trump colluded with Russia,” Steve said.
Whaaat?
At this point the conversation got more heated, but we weren’t shouting or hurling epithets at each other. We were having a debate, even though I’d rather be quizzing him about TV shows he’s been watching or memories of our favorite pizza joints.
Then he hung up on me.
Was that the end of our friendship? It’s doubtful, but why would he treat a longtime friend this way? Our bond deserved better than a move reserved for pesky telemarketers.
He could have just said, “Let’s change the subject.” I’m OK with that. I’ve done it before when a conversation turned up the heat. Looking back, I should have done so myself.
Then I gave it some thought.
Pre-Trump, Steve would probably fit as a center-right voter with some socially liberal views. Trump changed much of that. I’m guessing he began feasting on the media’s insane anti-Trump narratives from Inauguration day onward.
Day after day, pseudo scandal after pseudo scandal, the media messages likely took hold.
Remember, “The walls are closing in…?”
It didn’t help that Bad Trump often appeared on the scene, sharing toxic Tweets or getting in the gutter when attacked.
I certainly share some of the blame for our dustup. I’ve gotten better about bailing on heated political debates before they go too far.
Not this time. That’s on me.
I’m not really angry with Steve. Most people assume the media is mostly fair and balanced well enough. They don’t have time to seek out smart alternate news sites. They have jobs to do, meals to make, and wee ones to tuck in for a safe goodnight.
Extreme media bias is getting worse as we speak. Think the Covington Kids, the Jussie Smollett case or, more recently, the ballad of Tara Reade.
CNN anchors might literally wave pom poms to promote Joe Biden’s White House bid come October, assuming the media’s attempt to hide his sad decline holds fast. Other reporters may act in lock step, with or without the theatrics.
Fox News’ Tucker Carlson recently blasted the media’s distortions regarding the pandemic.
“So, no, CNN and MSNBC aren’t bringing you science. They’re peddling panic and reckless moral judgement. It’s hurting the country,” he said.
President Trump famously said “Fake News” is the enemy of the people, then expanded the phrase to include the press in toto.
Sadly, the latter is increasingly right. It’s also partially to blame for pushing old friendships to the breaking point.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Fake News

TOTO: Fake News Takes A Personal Toll On Us

Michigan’s health department is expected to roll out a comprehensive data set of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on long-term care facilities across the state on Friday, about two months after the state entered lockdown.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) has been compiling and verifying data for over two weeks from local health officials and long-term care facilities across the state. The enhanced coronavirus tracking comes as Democratic Governor Gretchen Whitmer faces accusations that her policies have worsened the spread of COVID-19 among the state’s vulnerable elderly population.
The new MDHHS <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus/0,9753,7-406-98163_98173-526911--,00.html">dashboard</a> showing COVID-19 deaths in nursing homes and other care centers was expected to be rolled out sometime this week, MDHHS Director Robert Gordon testified on May 13. By Thursday afternoon, the dashboard still was not operational, but displaying a message that “nursing facility data will be available once the transition period has ended and data appropriately validated.” The message says the transition period ended on May 25, and an MDHHS spokeswoman told The Daily Wire that the state plans “to begin reporting data” on Friday.
Reports suggest that the carnage in nursing homes is high. On Wednesday, Gordon reported early data on COVID-19 deaths linked to nursing homes in the metro Detroit area, the epicenter for the disease in the state. Local health officials in Detroit, as well as Wayne, Oakland, and Macomb counties had confirmed 1,372 COVID-19 deaths linked to nursing homes, alone making up 33% of the Michigan’s total number of fatalities from the virus, according to <a href="https://www.clickondetroit.com/news/local/2020/05/27/michigan-lawmaker-calls-whitmers-covid-19-nursing-home-policy-most-idiotic-thing-we-could-come-up-with/">Local 4</a>.
State Rep. Leslie Love, a Democrat, was outraged at the report. Love’s mother lives in a nursing home and has tested positive for COVID-19.
“Why the state of Michigan has chosen this path is beyond me,” Love said, referring to Whitmer’s nursing home plan. “It seems like the most idiotic thing we could come up with.”
Once the dashboard is up, the state will get its first real look at how badly the virus has hit Michigan’s elderly since the pandemic began. For some Michigan lawmakers, the tracker has taken an unacceptably long time to arrive.
“Our nursing home population is better tracked than almost any other population in the entire state,” GOP state Sen. Lana Theis said in an <a href="https://misenate.viebit.com/player.php?hash=sFT0VD92rAW2">oversight committee hearing on May 20</a>. The spread of COVID-19 in elderly care homes “should have been already being tracked, and I just want to express my shock that we are in the scenario that we are in right now with [the MDHHS] unable to give us those numbers.”
Whitmer took one of her first steps to combat the coronavirus on March 10, declaring a state of emergency after the first two cases of COVID-19 were identified in the state. On March 24, Whitmer enacted her first stay-at-home order and has since extended that order for most of the state through June 12.
Whitmer’s administration began consulting with nursing home representatives sometime in mid-March, according to Senate testimony from two of those representatives on May 20. The governor held off taking directed action to protect nursing homes for about a month. On April 15, Whitmer issued an <a href="https://www.michigan.gov/whitmer/0,9309,7-387-90499-525941--,00.html">executive order</a> that critics say put nursing home residents at increased risk from the coronavirus by forcing patients hospitalized with the virus back into long-term care facilities ill-equipped to care for them.
Whitmer’s order set up regional hubs in long-term care facilities presumably equipped to care for coronavirus patients with minimal risk to non-COVID-19 residents. The strategy has gaps, however, as Love’s mother contracted the coronavirus while housed at one of the regional hubs.
The governor’s order also held that hospitalized nursing home residents should be returned to their original residence where possible to reduce strain on the hub system and reduce stress on elderly patients. Whitmer’s order required nursing homes “with a census below 80%” to “create a unit dedicated to the care of COVID-19-affected residents” with a group of staff assigned exclusively to it.
“Any long-term care facility that has a dedicated unit and provides appropriate [personal protective equipment (PPE)] to the direct-care employees who staff the dedicated unit must admit anyone that it would normally admit as a resident, regardless of whether the individual has recently been discharged from a hospital treating COVID-19 patients,” the order says.
The administration says that it never forced nursing homes to take coronavirus patients and that it left the choice up to nursing homes whether they could properly care for the patient or not. In a <a href="https://misenate.viebit.com/player.php?hash=VzZf4Nwv8wrI">May 13 oversight committee hearing</a>, Gordon and MDHHS Medical Services Administration Deputy Director Kate Massey asserted that hospital discharge to a nursing home is conditioned on appropriate staffing, PPE, and a dedicated unit.
“If those can’t be provided, then [accepting a recovering COVID-19 patient] is not required,” Massey said.
In an exchange with Theis during the May 13 hearing, Gordon pointed to Section 3, Part B of the executive order, which states (emphasis added): “The long-term care facility of origin must accept the return of the resident, provided it can meet the medical needs of the resident and there are no statutory grounds to refuse the return, as soon as capacity allows.”
Critics have compared Whitmer’s April 15 order to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s nursing home policy that required elderly care facilities to take in recovering coronavirus patients whether or not they tested positive for the virus. Cuomo eventually <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/andrew-cuomo-finally-reverses-order-forcing-nursing-homes-to-take-covid-patients-demands-testing-for-care-workers">rescinded</a> his order on May 10 and continues to be embroiled in scandal. Whitmer <a href="https://www.mlive.com/public-interest/2020/05/whitmer-extends-executive-orders-for-child-care-access-long-term-care-facility-procedures.html">extended</a> her order days later on May 13. On May 20, Whitmer <a href="https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2020/05/21/whitmer-order-nursing-homes-care-facilities-pandemic/5234163002/">issued</a> an updated order with stricter oversight of nursing homes.
That order remains in place until June 17.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

‘Most Idiotic Thing’: Michigan To Get First Full Look At Pandemic’s Impact On Nursing Homes Months After Outbreak

A recently released poll from <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/05/26/coronavirus-schools-teachers-poll-ipsos-parents-fall-online/5254729002/">USA Today/Ipsos</a> shows that as many as 18% of teachers in the United States might not be ready to return to school in the fall should they reopen.
The survey of 505 kindergarten through high school teachers was taken May 18-21, and has a credibility interval of 5 points.
The survey asked: “If your school was to reopen and implement social distancing guidelines, how likely are the following?”
18% of teachers said “I would not return to teaching.”
Broken down further, a full 6% of teachers surveyed said they “very likely” wouldn’t return, and 13% were slightly less certain, saying that it is “somewhat likely” they would not return.
A supermajority of teachers, 69%, indicated that they would likely return to schools in the fall if social distancing guidelines were implemented. 26% of respondents said it’s “not very likely” that they wouldn’t return, and 43% said it’s “not at all likely” that they wouldn’t return.
12% “don’t know.”
The survey also asked about a series of “measures” pertaining to schools reopening, and how teachers feel about those measures: “Would you support or oppose the following measures if schools in your area implemented them this fall?”
The most popular option with 69% support was “returning to school 2-3 days a week, with distance learning on the other days.” 20% “strongly support” this idea while 10% “strongly oppose.” 49% “somewhat support” and 17% “somewhat oppose.”
In second place with 65% support would be “high-risk” teachers “continuing to teach online while low-risk teachers teach in person.” 20% “strongly support” this measure while 8% “strongly oppose.” 44% “somewhat support” and 18% “somewhat oppose.”
In third with 57% was simply a return to school “five days a week.” 24% “strongly support” that idea while 11% “strongly oppose.” 33% “somewhat support” and 24% “somewhat oppose.”
49% of those surveyed said that they support the idea of “students and teachers returning to school before there is a coronavirus vaccine.” 13% “strongly support” the idea while 14% “strongly oppose.” 36% “somewhat support” and 26% “somewhat oppose.”
Only 34% agreed with adjusting the school year timeline to begin earlier and end later.
USA Today/Ipsos also <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/education/2020/05/26/coronavirus-schools-teachers-poll-ipsos-parents-fall-online/5254729002/">surveyed parents</a>.
As numerous states begin their reopening phases, and all eyes look toward the fall and the reopening of schools, there are differing ideas regarding how to move ahead. As a vaccine timeline remains unclear, personal mitigation and sanitation appear to be some of the only options that could allow Americans to begin again in earnest.
Clearly, as shown in the USA Today/Ipsos survey, teachers are just as unsure as it pertains to reopening, as well as the best ways to do so safely.
COVID-19 has infected over 5.9 million people worldwide, and led to more than 357,900 deaths, <a href="https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/bda7594740fd40299423467b48e9ecf6">according to data</a> from the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) Global Cases map. Over 2.3 million people have recovered.
In the United States, there have been more than 1.7 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and over 101,000 deaths. As of publication, 391,508 individuals have recovered from the virus.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Teacher

POLL: 18% Of Teachers ‘Would Not Return’ If Schools Open In The Fall With Social Distancing

Education

Teachers

As health care workers around the world are trying to help stop the spread of the novel coronavirus, many of them are getting attacked.
Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), told the United Nations Security Council in a video call that since March, 208 attacks related to COVID-19 have been reported against healthcare workers and systems in 13 different countries around the world, Fox News <a style="color: #954f72;" href="https://www.foxnews.com/health/red-cross-reports-208-coronavirus-related-assaults-on-health-care-workers">reported</a>.
“The COVID-19 crisis is fast threatening to become a protection crisis,” Maurer said on the call.
In <a style="color: #954f72;" href="https://www.icrc.org/en/document/health-care-workers-save-lives-covid-19">a statement</a>, “a community of concerned advocates, representing 13 medical and humanitarian global organizations appearing for more than 30 million health care professionals,” issued a statement through the ICRC condemning the attacks:
<blockquote>Unfortunately, the sad reality is that health workers have for a long time been subject to many shocking forms of violence. The recent displays of public support for COVID-19 responders are heartwarming, but many responders are nevertheless experiencing harassment, stigmatization and physical violence. Some health-care professionals and the people they were caring for have even been killed. At least 208 reports of such incidents have emerged since the beginning of the pandemic, and each day brings new stories of intimidation and harm.
Violence against health care must not be tolerated. We stand firmly against it, and are working as a global community to build a world where health workers and patients are safe and respected. We call on everyone reading this message to join with us and protect health care from violence. And not only individuals: we call on all governments to act against misinformation and to ensure that health care is protected by domestic law, that all health-care professionals have a safe working environment, and that mental health support is offered not only to victims of violence, but also to those working under increased levels of stress.</blockquote>
Maurer, according to Fox News, said on the call that socioeconomic issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic will lead to increased abuse and exploitation of already vulnerable populations. The ICRC did not list the 13 countries where attacks have been recorded, but the ICRC did specifically condemn “recent attacks on health care facilities, staff, as well as patients, in Kabul and Darfur.” Maurer explained the 13 countries were in the Middle East, Asia-Pacific, the Americans, and Africa, <a style="color: #954f72;" href="https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation/red-cross-says-208-covid-related-attacks-on-health-workers/">according to The Seattle Times</a>. He added that it’s “likely the actual numbers are much higher than what we calculated.”
“Maurer said 23% of incidents included physical assaults, 20% were discriminatory-related attacks on health workers, and the rest included the deliberate failure to provide or deny assistance, verbal assaults and threats, and a disregard for health personnel protective measures,” the Times reported.
In a tweet, the ICRC listed doctors, nurses, paramedics, hospitals, ambulances, and clinics as being “protected under the rules of war.
“Yet since the COVID-19 pandemic began, there have been over 200 attacks on health care in just 13 countries,” the organization continued.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a style="color: #954f72;" href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Doctor wearing protective suit to fight coronavirus pandemic covid-2019.

Red Cross Says More Than 200 Health Care Workers Have Been Attacked In Coronavirus-Linked Assaults

Health Care

A Columbia Law School professor is warning that the United States is on the verge of a flood of renter evictions after about two months of mandatory government shutdowns that have cost millions of people their incomes.
Columbia Law School associate professor and housing expert Emily Benfer says emergency protections put in place to protect renters from eviction during the pandemic are about to lapse in about half of the United States. Although Congress has substantially boosted unemployment benefits during the pandemic, roughly a quarter of Americans are struggling to make rent and mortgage payments.
“I think we will enter into a severe renter crisis and very quickly,” Benfer told <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/us/coronavirus-evictions-renters.html">The New York Times</a>. “We will have an avalanche of evictions across the country.”
Just over 25% of Americans report that they have either missed their last rent or mortgage payment or have little to no confidence that they can pay their next one, according to a weekly tracking survey from the <a href="https://www.census.gov/data-tools/demo/hhp/#/table?measures=HIR">Census Bureau</a>.
The Labor Department <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jobless-claims-top-36-5-million-amid-virus-crisis-as-another-3-million-filed-for-unemployment-last-week">reported</a> last week that jobless claims since mid-March have hit over 36 million as the U.S. economy continues to tumble because of the virus and mandated government shutdowns. The Census Bureau’s survey also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/study-1-out-of-every-3-americans-suffering-anxiety-or-depression-during-lockdowns">shows</a> that a third of Americans are showing signs of clinical depression or anxiety.
Congress approved an additional $600 a week in unemployment benefits in March to aid people suffering job losses and being placed on furlough amid widespread government shutdowns. Earlier this month, a group of economists at the University of Chicago <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/study-two-thirds-of-workers-who-lost-jobs-during-pandemic-are-getting-paid-more-on-unemployment">estimated</a> that the increase in unemployment benefits has caused two-thirds of Americans who have lost paychecks during the pandemic to make more than if they were still working.
Shutdowns led to an unprecedented wave of unemployment claims that overran state labor departments and unemployment reporting centers. An untold number of Americans fell through the cracks early in the process as their applications were lost or because they were never able to connect with a processer in the first place. Clogged phone lines and crashed unemployment systems created days and weeks of confusion.
Congress also approved a one-time payment of $1,200 for almost all Americans. Those checks are taking weeks to hit the bank accounts of most Americans, however.
Many businesses have remained shuttered for about two months now, and business owners who are unable to bring in revenue are running out of resources needed to reopen their businesses once lockdown orders are lifted. Economists <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/shock-more-than-40-of-small-businesses-may-close-in-the-next-six-months">predict</a> that a wave of small business closures, as much as 40% of small businesses in the United States, will hit over the next six months.
With each business closure, the time it will take for the United States to recover from the current economic crisis grows longer. Fewer jobs will be available for Americans coming out of lockdown, and competition for the jobs that are left will be stiff.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Rent Crisis

U.S. On The Edge Of A ‘Severe Renter Crisis’ After Millions Of Job Losses

Unemployment

As more states seek to reopen their economies after over two months of these crippling lockdown orders, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned people not to be &#8220;overconfident&#8221; that COVID-19 cases won&#8217;t spike immediately.
Speaking with CNN anchor Jim Sciutto on Wednesday, Dr. Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said people should carefully watch the states that reopen too quickly for any sudden uptick in COVID-19 cases.
&#8220;I think if you look at some of those areas, you start to see a little bit of an uptick, and those are the things you have to watch really carefully, Jim, because there will be cases when you do that and that&#8217;s the thing we need to accept – it&#8217;s how we respond to it,&#8221; he said, as reported by <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/media/dr-fauci-overconfident-reopenings-coronavirus">Fox News</a>. &#8220;One of the things that I think the people out there frolicking need to realize – that when you do that, and you see no negative effect in one week, please don&#8217;t be overconfident, because the effect of spreading is not going to be seen two, three, or maybe even more weeks.&#8221;
Dr. Fauci did, however, express optimism that America will not see a second wave of the coronavirus if people follow public health guidelines.
&#8220;We don&#8217;t have to accept that as an inevitability,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And particularly when people start thinking about the fall, and I want people to really appreciate that – it could happen but it is not inevitable. If we do the kinds of things that we&#8217;re putting in place now to have the workforce, the system, and the will to do the kinds of things that are clear and effective – identification, isolation, and contact tracing – we can prevent this second wave that we&#8217;re talking about if we do it correctly.&#8221;
Last week, Dr. Fauci said that &#8220;<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-barstool-sports-founder-david-portnoy-rips-dr-fauci-in-latest-profanity-laced-video-pick-a-fing-side">irreparable damage</a>&#8221; could result from keeping the country lockdown for too long.
&#8220;We can’t stay locked down for such a considerable period of time that you might do irreparable damage and have unintended consequences including consequences for health,&#8221; he said. &#8220;And it’s for that reason why the guidelines are being put forth so that the states and the cities can start to reenter and reopen. So we are enthusiastic about reopening, and I think we can do it in a pace that would be reasonable and that would get us back as a society from a morale standpoint as well as the economy. I don’t want people to think that any of us feel that staying locked down for a prolonged period of time is the way to go.&#8221;
Though Fauci said that the United States had to institute strict measures initially to prevent an explosion of deaths, he conceded that certain parts of the country will have to start reopening.
“Now is the time, depending upon where you are and what your situation is, to begin to seriously look at reopening the economy, reopening the country to try to get back to some degree of normal,” he said.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

US-POLITICS-HEALTH-VIRUS-TRUMP-EDWARDS

Fauci Warns People ‘Out There Frolicking’ To Not Be ‘Overconfident’

Anthony Fauci

Almost a third of Americans report experiencing anxiety, depression, or both amid widespread, pandemic-induced lockdowns and heavy restrictions.
The survey is the latest iteration of an ongoing <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/covid19/pulse/mental-health.htm">Census Bureau</a> project tracking the mental health of Americans during the pandemic. The bureau surveyed more than 42,000 people between May 7 and 12, and 34% of respondents’ answers indicate a potential depressive or anxiety disorder. The results suggest that the pandemic and lockdown are taking a significant toll on mental health in the United States, according to <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2020/05/26/americans-with-depression-anxiety-pandemic/?arc404=true">The Washington Post</a>.
Half of respondents said they experienced feelings of depression in the past week. The statistic is roughly double the reported number from a 2014 national survey in which people were asked whether they had experienced feelings of depression in the past two weeks, according to WaPo.
While mental health trends in the United States appear to be increasing in recent years, the current crisis has exacerbated those trends. In an average year, roughly 18% of adults ages 18-54 suffer from some type of anxiety disorder, according to <a href="https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/mental-health-disorder-statistics">Johns Hopkins University</a>. According to the bureau, 28% of Americans across all age groups from 18+ reported symptoms of an anxiety disorder.
Broken down by age, younger generations reported higher levels of depression despite the virus being deadliest to the elderly. Nearly half of adults ages 18-29 reported symptoms of depression or anxiety compared to 18% in the 70-79 age group and 17% for adults ages 80 and above.
According to government data, the coronavirus has killed roughly 100,000 Americans, and the mandated lockdowns to slow the virus’ spread has cost tens of millions of jobs and driven many businesses into bankruptcy. Over 36 million people have <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jobless-claims-top-36-5-million-amid-virus-crisis-as-another-3-million-filed-for-unemployment-last-week">lost</a> their jobs or income since mid-March when states began taking strict actions against the pathogen, according to Labor Department data released last week.
Medical professionals have begun calling for reduced restrictions in states still under strict lockdown orders because of the toll that long periods of isolation and lost income is taking on people’s mental health. Doctors at the John Muir Medical Center near San Francisco, Calif., <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/california-doctors-saw-a-years-worth-of-suicides-last-month-amid-coronavirus-lockdown?fbclid=IwAR1zSIgEMbo2POMYpmnciLVbreE8D05VuQs5p5-0zSHDQ1f9bQ78TfXzKEc">said</a> earlier this week that more people were dying from suicide than from the virus.
“Personally I think it’s time,” said Dr. Mike deBoisblanc, head of the emergency department at Jon Muir. “I think, originally, [the shelter-in-place order] was put in place to flatten the curve and to make sure hospitals have the resources to take care of COVID patients. We have the current resources to do that and our other community health is suffering.”
A team of researchers led by Hoover Institute senior fellow Scott Atlas estimate that the cost of strict regulations has already surpassed the toll the virus has taken in terms of years of human life lost.
“The disease has been responsible for 800,000 lost years of life so far,” the researchers wrote in <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/healthcare/499394-the-covid-19-shutdown-will-cost-americans-millions-of-years-of-life">The Hill</a> on Monday. “Considering only the losses of life from missed health care and unemployment due solely to the lockdown policy, we conservatively estimate that the national lockdown is responsible for at least 700,000 lost years of life every month, or about 1.5 million so far — already far surpassing the COVID-19 total.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Living life at home during COVID-19

Study: 1 Out Of Every 3 Americans Suffering Anxiety Or Depression During Lockdowns

If customers see another customer not wearing a surgical mask in the grocery store, should they all corral into an angry mob while pelting the non-mask wearer with a torrent of obscenities until they cooperate? A debate over that very question has erupted online in response to a viral video out of Staten Island, New York, showing customers heckle and berate a total stranger for not wearing a face covering.
The video, posted on Sunday, has since garnered over 2 million views and divided people into two camps: people who felt the heckling went too far and people who believed it was justified. Take a look:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Staten Islanders with masks drive out non-mask wearing person in grocery store. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Coronavirus?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Coronavirus</a> <a href="https://t.co/iPQwk7lD9y">pic.twitter.com/iPQwk7lD9y</a>
&mdash; McAuley (@McauleyHolmes) <a href="https://twitter.com/McauleyHolmes/status/1264721468761481216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 25, 2020</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
McAuley Holmes, who posted the initial video after seeing it on Reddit, <a href="https://heavy.com/news/2020/05/staten-island-mask-grocery-store-video/">told Heavy</a> that he had &#8220;mixed feelings&#8221; about how customers reacted, believing that the store employees should have been the ones to handle the situation.
“From what I can see in the video it seems there aren’t employees of the store involved in removing the shopper,” Holmes told Heavy. “Obviously private businesses have the right to refuse service to non-mask wearers, but a group of shoppers is different. Masks are important in stopping the spread and wearing one is a sign of respect to others. It’s understandable that people would be so serious about community enforcement in a place like Staten Island that has been hit so hard by COVID.”
Actor Jeffrey Wright of &#8220;Westworld&#8221; felt the customers were acting appropriately considering that Staten Island was hit the hardest by COVID-19 with up to 800 dead out of nearly half a million people, noting that people there are predominantly conservative.
“Staten Island is NYC’s most conservative borough. 56.05% voted for Trump in 2016. Population of 476,143 people and almost 800 confirmed COVID dead to this point,” <a href="https://twitter.com/jfreewright/status/1264914108601827328" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer external">he tweeted.</a> “Extrapolated over the U.S. population that’s about 550,000 dead. So nah, they ain’t havin it.”
Another user agreed: &#8220;People outside of the metro area don’t realize that Staten Island is a GOP stronghold and the majority voted for Trump. Pointing this out because their anger about her not wearing a mask is about the health of shoppers &amp; employees in a highly infected area, not political views.&#8221;
Other users felt the customers took it way too far.
&#8220;Wow. So bullying is the right answer?! Maybe the store should not allow people to go in?! Maybe should of asked if she has or mask or needed one, but calling someone a pig?? Love the guy screaming at her pulls his mask down to do it!!&#8221; said one user.
&#8220;No shirt, no shoes, no mask, no entry. Why&#8217;d the store allow them in without masks? You can&#8217;t get into my grocery store in Brooklyn without a mask; if you don&#8217;t have one they&#8217;ll offer one to you (and gloves). My store also &#8220;meters&#8221; entrants, so it doesn&#8217;t get too crowded,&#8221; said another.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

Essential grocery workers during Covid-19

WATCH: Angry Mob Screams Obscenities At Non-Mask Wearing Customer in Staten Island Grocery Store

Face Mask

The World Health Organization has stopped research into hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malarial drug touted by President Donald Trump, as a potential treatment for Covid-19.
WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced the “temporary pause” on Monday after a study published last week found that hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine increased the risk of heart problems and death for coronavirus patients, according to The <a href="https://apnews.com/7be2152625e17d236e84b258cb8896fd">Associated Press</a>.
“This concern relates to the use of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in Covid-19,” Tedros said. Both drugs are on the WHO’s “<a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/325771/WHO-MVP-EMP-IAU-2019.06-eng.pdf?ua=1">Model List of Essential Medicines</a>” for treating malaria and certain auto-immune diseases.
A <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)31180-6/fulltext">study</a> published in the medical journal The Lancet on Friday showed the results of a multi-national analysis of the impact of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine in patients diagnosed with Covid-19.
“We were unable to confirm a benefit of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine, when used alone or with a macrolide, on in-hospital outcomes for COVID-19,” the study says. “Each of these drug regimens was associated with decreased in-hospital survival and an increased frequency of ventricular arrhythmias when used for treatment of COVID-19.”
The WHO’s decision comes after Trump <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/breaking-trump-reveals-he-is-taking-hydroxychloroquine-as-preventative-measure">announced</a> he had been on a hydroxychloroquine regiment for about two weeks on May 18. The president said many doctors and nurses are already making wide use of the drug for themselves and their patients.
“You’d be surprised at how many people are taking it, especially the front-line workers before you catch it. The front-line workers — many, many are taking it,” Trump said. “I happen to be taking it. I happen to be taking it.”
Chloroquine has been in use as an anti-malarial drug since its discovery in 1934 and has been a central part in fighting malaria globally since the 1950s. The efficacy for treating coronavirus patients with chloroquine, and its more stable counterpart hydroxychloroquine, is still being debated by scientists and researchers studying it.
Trump began <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/malaria-drug-sees-promising-signs-as-future-coronavirus-treatment">touting</a> hydroxychloroquine around the same time that a small but promising study by a French researcher appeared to show that the drug helped coronavirus patients recover faster and with less severe symptoms.
Trump’s May 18 announcement elicited strong reactions from pundits and politicians. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-nancy-pelosi-knocks-trump-morbidly-obese-people-shouldnt-take-unapproved-medications">said</a> Trump should not be taking the drug because of its dangers to “morbidly obese” people.
White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany later <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/press-sec-kayleigh-mcenany-blasts-apoplectic-reaction-after-news-that-trump-is-taking-hydroxychloroquine">knocked</a> Pelosi and other critics of the president’s announcement for ignoring that the drug has been in wide use for decades and that many doctors are using it to treat Covid-19.
“Some of the misreporting on other networks — these apoplectic [analyses] of hydroxychloroquine — ignore the fact that tens of millions of people around the world have used this drug for other purposes,” McEnany said.
“The president has said pretty widely that this is a drug that he had looked at with optimism,” she added. “But nevertheless he said that this is a decision that must be made with a doctor, as he’s repeatedly said.”
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

WHO Pauses Research Into Hydroxychloroquine As Covid-19 Treatment

World Health Organization

A Nobel Prize winning scientist, who correctly predicted in the early days of the pandemic that the initial models were overestimating how bad the outbreak would be, said over the weekend that he believes that the lockdown may end up costing more lives than it saved, and that the economic devastation from the lockdown will outweigh the lives that were lost.
The Telegraph <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2020/05/23/lockdown-saved-no-lives-may-have-cost-nobel-prize-winner-believes/">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Michael Levitt, a Stanford University professor who correctly predicted the initial trajectory of the pandemic, sent messages to Professor Neil Ferguson in March telling the influential government advisor he had over-estimated the potential death toll by &#8220;10 or 12 times.”
The Imperial College professor&#8217;s modelling, a major factor in the Government&#8217;s apparent abandoning of a so-called herd-immunity policy, was part of an unnecessary &#8220;panic virus&#8221; which spread among global political leaders, Prof Levitt now tells the Telegraph.</blockquote>
&#8220;I think lockdown saved no lives,&#8221; Levitt said, adding that social distancing measures, hygiene, and wearing masks should have been sufficient. &#8220;I think it may have cost lives. It will have saved a few road accident lives &#8211; things like that &#8211; but social damage &#8211; domestic abuse, divorces, alcoholism &#8211; has been extreme. And then you have those who were not treated for other conditions.&#8221;
&#8220;I think that the real virus was the panic virus,&#8221; Levitt continued. &#8220;For reasons that were not clear to me, I think the leaders panicked and the people panicked and I think there was a huge lack of discussion.&#8221;
&#8220;I think the lockdown will cause much more damage than the deaths saved,&#8221; Levitt added. &#8220;The problem with epidemiologists is that they feel their job is to frighten people into lockdown, social distancing. So you say &#8216;there&#8217;s going to be a million deaths&#8217; and when there are only 25,000 you say &#8216;it&#8217;s good you listened to my advice&#8217;. This happened with Ebola and bird flu. It&#8217;s just part of the madness.&#8221;
Imperial College epidemiologist Professor Ferguson, who had claimed that 500,000 people in the U.K. would die without a lockdown, resigned in disgrace earlier this month after he was caught breaking the quarantine that he had advocated for to allegedly have an affair with a married woman.
Politico <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/05/05/british-corona-expert-resigns-as-government-adviser-over-lockdown-breach-238732">reported</a>:
<blockquote>A government spokesman confirmed Tuesday that Neil Ferguson had resigned from the government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), after the Telegraph reported he had received at least two visits from his married lover and therefore broken social distancing rules.</blockquote>
“I accept I made an error of judgment and took the wrong course of action,” Ferguson said. “I have therefore stepped back from my involvement in Sage.”
David Richards, co-founder of British data technology company WANdisco, <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/imperial-college-britain-coronavirus-lockdown-buggy-mess-unreliable">told</a> the Daily Telegraph, that the model created by Ferguson was a “buggy mess that looks more like a bowl of angel hair pasta than a finely tuned piece of programming.”
Richards added, “In our commercial reality, we would fire anyone for developing code like this and any business that relied on it to produce software for sale would likely go bust.&#8221;
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

UK On Lockdown Due To Coronavirus Pandemic

Nobel Laureate Scientist: Lockdown ‘May Have’ Cost More Lives Than It Saved, Damage Far Worse Than Positives

On Sunday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-parliament-usa/china-tells-u-s-to-stop-wasting-time-in-coronavirus-battle-idUSKBN230076">offered</a> an apparent warning to politicians in the United States who “attack and slander China” over COVID-19, and are “costing &#8230; lives,” and “pushing our two countries to the brink of a new Cold War.”
“It&#8217;s most regrettable that while the coronavirus is still out there, a political virus is also spreading in the U.S., and jumping at any opportunity to attack and slander China,” Wang said. “Some politicians ignore the basic facts and make up countless lies and conspiracy theories concerning China.”
Wang then claimed that a “list of these lies has been compiled and debunked online,” and that the list will continue to grow.
“I call on the U.S. side to stop wasting precious time and stop costing people&#8217;s lives,” Wang said before claiming that the United States and China must cooperate and “share our experience.”
“Both China and the U.S. stand to gain from cooperation and lose from confrontation. This best captures what we have learned – positive and otherwise – from the past decades,” Wang stated. “Both sides should take this lesson to heart. China and the U.S. have different social systems, but this is a result of the different choices made by people, which we must respect.”
After noting that China and the United States have “many disagreements,” Wang said that our two countries must cooperate and that “China remains prepared to work with the U.S. in the spirit of no conflict or confrontation, mutual respect, and win-win cooperation, and build a relationship based on coordination, cooperation, and stability.”
Wang then stated that “China will defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” and that the United States must “give up its wishful thinking of changing China or stopping 1.4 billion people&#8217;s historic march toward modernization.”
The diplomat then issued a troubling warning shot:
<blockquote>It has come to our attention that some political forces in the U.S. are taking China-U.S. relations hostage and pushing our two countries to the brink of a new Cold War. This dangerous attempt to turn back the will of history will undo the fruits of decades-long China-U.S. cooperation, dampen Americans own development prospects, and put world stability and prosperity in jeopardy.</blockquote>
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6DQpE5-8lwc?start=422" width="720" height="385" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
This isn’t the first time a Chinese official has attempted to place blame on the United States for coronavirus-related “lies.”
In mid-March, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian <a href="https://twitter.com/zlj517/status/1238111898828066823?s=21">claimed on Twitter</a> that the United States Army might have brought the virus to China.
“When did patient zero begin in US? How many people are infected?” Zhao <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/communist-china-spokesman-claims-u-s-military-might-have-brought-coronavirus-to-china">wrote</a>. “What are the names of the hospitals? It might be US army who brought the epidemic to Wuhan. Be transparent! Make public your data! US owe us an explanation!”
China also attempted to silence a doctor who spoke out about the virus early on.
On December 30, Dr. Li Wenliang sent a message to a small group of people about the coronavirus. According to a report in <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(20)30382-2/fulltext">The Lancet</a>, four days after sending the message, Li “was summoned to the Public Security Bureau in Wuhan and made to sign a statement in which he was accused of making false statements that disturbed the public order.”
Li later <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-51403795">died</a> from COVID-19.
In a February 7 piece in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/07/health/cdc-coronavirus-china.html">The New York Times</a>, it was reported that China ignored offers from the CDC for “more than a month” to “send a team of experts” in to help with the coronavirus outbreak.
“Current and former public health officials and diplomats” reportedly told The New York Times that they believed “the reluctance [came] from China’s top leaders, who do not want the world to think they need outside help.”
In early-April, <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-04-01/china-concealed-extent-of-virus-outbreak-u-s-intelligence-says">Bloomberg</a> reported that according to three anonymous U.S. officials, “the U.S. intelligence community concluded in a classified report to the White House” that China had “intentionally” been undercounting their COVID-19 case totals and deaths.
The above are just several examples from a larger pattern of misdirection and obfuscation from China regarding COVID-19. These latest remarks from Wang appear to be just one more attempt to spin the ball and intimidate the United States.
The Daily Wire, headed by bestselling author and popular podcast host Ben Shapiro, is a leading provider of conservative news, cutting through the mainstream media’s rhetoric to provide readers the most important, relevant, and engaging stories of the day. Get inside access to The Daily Wire by becoming a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/subscribe">member</a>.

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COVID-19

Medical Journal Issues “Expression Of Concern” Over Study On Alleged Dangers Of Hydroxychloroquine

Couples Should Wear Face Masks During Sex, New Study Says

Most Of Virginia To Enter Phase 2 Reopening This Friday

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Suggests People ‘Google’ How To Cut Their Own Hair, Faces Swift Backlash

WILLIAMS: Insane News Tidbits

TOTO: Carolla Blasts ‘Indoctrination Into Fear’ From Press, Government

PRAGER: The Lockdown, Evangelicals And The Afterlife: A Response To Steven Pinker

GRAHAM: Showboating With 100,000 Dead

LIMBAUGH: Kayleigh McEnany Shines On The Job

TOTO: Fake News Takes A Personal Toll On Us

‘Most Idiotic Thing’: Michigan To Get First Full Look At Pandemic’s Impact On Nursing Homes Months After Outbreak

POLL: 18% Of Teachers ‘Would Not Return’ If Schools Open In The Fall With Social Distancing

Red Cross Says More Than 200 Health Care Workers Have Been Attacked In Coronavirus-Linked Assaults

U.S. On The Edge Of A ‘Severe Renter Crisis’ After Millions Of Job Losses

Fauci Warns People ‘Out There Frolicking’ To Not Be ‘Overconfident’

Study: 1 Out Of Every 3 Americans Suffering Anxiety Or Depression During Lockdowns

WATCH: Angry Mob Screams Obscenities At Non-Mask Wearing Customer in Staten Island Grocery Store

WHO Pauses Research Into Hydroxychloroquine As Covid-19 Treatment

Nobel Laureate Scientist: Lockdown ‘May Have’ Cost More Lives Than It Saved, Damage Far Worse Than Positives

Chinese Foreign Minister Accuses U.S. ‘Political Forces’ Of ‘Pushing Our Two Countries To The Brink Of A New Cold War’

Menu

COVID-19

Medical Journal Issues “Expression Of Concern” Over Study On Alleged Dangers Of Hydroxychloroquine

Couples Should Wear Face Masks During Sex, New Study Says

Most Of Virginia To Enter Phase 2 Reopening This Friday

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Suggests People ‘Google’ How To Cut Their Own Hair, Faces Swift Backlash

WILLIAMS: Insane News Tidbits

TOTO: Carolla Blasts ‘Indoctrination Into Fear’ From Press, Government

PRAGER: The Lockdown, Evangelicals And The Afterlife: A Response To Steven Pinker

GRAHAM: Showboating With 100,000 Dead

LIMBAUGH: Kayleigh McEnany Shines On The Job

TOTO: Fake News Takes A Personal Toll On Us

‘Most Idiotic Thing’: Michigan To Get First Full Look At Pandemic’s Impact On Nursing Homes Months After Outbreak

POLL: 18% Of Teachers ‘Would Not Return’ If Schools Open In The Fall With Social Distancing

Red Cross Says More Than 200 Health Care Workers Have Been Attacked In Coronavirus-Linked Assaults

U.S. On The Edge Of A ‘Severe Renter Crisis’ After Millions Of Job Losses

Fauci Warns People ‘Out There Frolicking’ To Not Be ‘Overconfident’

Study: 1 Out Of Every 3 Americans Suffering Anxiety Or Depression During Lockdowns

WATCH: Angry Mob Screams Obscenities At Non-Mask Wearing Customer in Staten Island Grocery Store

WHO Pauses Research Into Hydroxychloroquine As Covid-19 Treatment

Nobel Laureate Scientist: Lockdown ‘May Have’ Cost More Lives Than It Saved, Damage Far Worse Than Positives

Chinese Foreign Minister Accuses U.S. ‘Political Forces’ Of ‘Pushing Our Two Countries To The Brink Of A New Cold War’

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